Off Topic : the cheating Major

Alex Noel-Tod said:

Apologies for this off-topic request, but I need to cast my net wide (If 17m people watched it,
someone must have recorded it ...)

Does anyone have a video of the ITV 90 minute 'documentary' about the 'cheating' episode of "Who
Wants to be a Millionaire" (broadcast Monday 21 April), and from which I could request a copy ? I
need a copy for our collection (honest !).

It's on tonight at 8pm on ITV2 if that helps at all (Millionaire: A Major fraud)

--
StainlessSteelRat "Money can't buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of
misery." -- Spike Milligan

Alex Noel-Tod said:

I need a copy for our collection (honest !).

<Cough>

Guy
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StainlessSteelRat said:

It's on tonight at 8pm on ITV2 if that helps at all (Millionaire: A Major fraud)

I saw it for the first time tonight.

I agree with the Iraqi Information Minister - The Major is innocent.
--
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Gonzalez said:

StainlessSteelRat said:

It's on tonight at 8pm on ITV2 if that helps at all (Millionaire: A Major fraud)

I saw it for the first time tonight.

I agree with the Iraqi Information Minister - The Major is innocent.

I reckon its all a scam <cough> by Celador to make extra millions <cough> out of programmes like
this and the proposed film. Certainly revived the public awareness and interest in a starting to
flag programme <cough, cough> . Tony

--
raven-family.comraven-family.comOpen ↗

"All truth goes through three steps: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer

Not to start a conspiracy theory, but...

How did Tecwen manage to get on exactly the right episode to be able to give the right answers; he'd
been discussing it with them for months beforehand.

How did Tecwen manage to get all the questions right without prior knowledge of the answers, when he
proved (when he got into the chair the next night) that he had, at best, a basic level of general
knowledge; one night he can get a million, the next night (without help) he gets a thousand. By his
own admission in court, he's not very good at quiz shows.

I think there was someone on the inside arranging the seating plans and providing the list of
questions and answers.

Just my 2p's worth!

Pete.

---------------------------
Peter Connolly Derby UK

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gonzalez said:

StainlessSteelRat said:

It's on tonight at 8pm on ITV2 if that helps at all (Millionaire: A

Major

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

fraud)

I saw it for the first time tonight.

I agree with the Iraqi Information Minister - The Major is innocent.

I reckon its all a scam <cough> by Celador to make extra millions <cough> out of programmes like
this and the proposed film. Certainly revived the public awareness and interest in a starting to
flag programme <cough,

cough>

Quoted message said:

. Tony

--
raven-family.comraven-family.comOpen ↗

"All truth goes through three steps: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Not to start a conspiracy theory, but...

How did Tecwen manage to get on exactly the right episode to be able to give the right answers;
he'd been discussing it with them for months beforehand.

How did Tecwen manage to get all the questions right without prior knowledge of the answers,

He didn't. He asked the guy next to him for two of the answers and the major's wife coughed up one
answer when Tecwen didn't contribute.

Colin

Colin Blackburn said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Not to start a conspiracy theory, but...

How did Tecwen manage to get on exactly the right episode to be able to give the right answers;
he'd been discussing it with them for months beforehand.

How did Tecwen manage to get all the questions right without prior knowledge of the answers,

He didn't. He asked the guy next to him for two of the answers and the major's wife coughed up one
answer when Tecwen didn't contribute.

Plus there was at least one answer that the Major himself knew.

And I thought everyone in the World knew what a googol is, but perhaps its just because I'm a
maths teacher!

Now, who knows what a googolplex is?
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"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

<Cough>

Arsenal!

--
Dave...

There was a radio programme this week that suggested they were the first people to attempt a fraud
using a Morecambe and Wise sketch!

Regards,

Pete.
---------------------------
Peter Connolly Derby UK

"Dave Kahn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<Cough>

Arsenal!

--
Dave...

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Plus there was at least one answer that the Major himself knew.

And I thought everyone in the World knew what a googol is, but perhaps its just because I'm a
maths teacher!

Well, it would have been a dream question me, not needing any multiple choice, but, not everyone
knows I expect. Now, google!

What I found telling here was that he switched to googol saying that he'd never heard of it but by a
process of elimination... At no point did he, unlike many other contestants, say why he had
eliminated other answers.

Quoted message said:

Now, who knows what a googolplex is?

Is that a googol to the power of a googol?

As for a conspiracy, probably not. As for Celador (Jasper Carrott is an owner apparently) milking it
for everything, definitely. The major getting to the million was the best news they ever had.

Colin

Colin Blackburn said:

Quoted message said:

And I thought everyone in the World knew what a googol is, but perhaps its just because I'm a
maths teacher!

Well, it would have been a dream question me, not needing any multiple choice, but, not everyone
knows I expect. Now, google!

Google? Is that an alternate spelling?

Or do you mean the factorial of googol?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Now, who knows what a googolplex is?

Is that a googol to the power of a googol?

No. Ten to the power googol, or a one with a googol of zeros.
--
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In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Colin Blackburn said:

Quoted message said:

And I thought everyone in the World knew what a googol is, but perhaps its just because I'm a
maths teacher!

Well, it would have been a dream question me, not needing any multiple choice, but, not everyone
knows I expect. Now, google!

Google? Is that an alternate spelling?

Or do you mean the factorial of googol?

:-)

No I mean that many people probably know what Google is, or at least sort of what it does. Probably
more than know what a googol is.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Now, who knows what a googolplex is?

No. Ten to the power googol, or a one with a googol of zeros.

Still pretty big then.

Colin

Colin Blackburn said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Now, who knows what a googolplex is?

No. Ten to the power googol, or a one with a googol of zeros.

Still pretty big then.

Not as big as either Graham's Number or, indeed, Skewes' Number.

And there exists a number with 369,693,100 digits that can be represented with just 3 digits and no
additional symbols in standard decimal notation.

Can you work out what that number is?
--
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Peter Connolly said:

Not to start a conspiracy theory, but...

How did Tecwen manage to get all the questions right without prior knowledge of the answers, when
he proved (when he got into the chair the next night) that he had, at best, a basic level of
general knowledge; one night he can get a million, the next night (without help) he gets a
thousand. By his own admission in court, he's not very good at quiz shows.

More than that, he had to ask the guy next to him about a couple of answers including the last one.
Would you have gambled on the £1m question on the basis of what the guy next to you thought the
answer was? I would have thought that was the point to signal I'm not sure, bail out at this one.

Tony

--
raven-family.comraven-family.comOpen ↗

"All truth goes through three steps: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer

Tony Raven said:

Peter Connolly said:

Not to start a conspiracy theory, but...

How did Tecwen manage to get all the questions right without prior knowledge of the answers, when
he proved (when he got into the chair the next night) that he had, at best, a basic level of
general knowledge; one night he can get a million, the next night (without help) he gets a
thousand. By his own admission in court, he's not very good at quiz shows.

More than that, he had to ask the guy next to him about a couple of answers including the last one.
Would you have gambled on the £1m question on the basis of what the guy next to you thought the
answer was? I would have thought that was the point to signal I'm not sure, bail out at this one.

He should have bailed out at £125,000. Then he might have got away with it, been able to pay off all
his debts, buy his daughters ponies and had enough left over for a hefty deposit on a house.

Greed is a dangerous thing. I am glad that I am content with what I have and a teacher's salary
(which isn't anywhere nearly as bad as many of my colleagues make out).
--
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Gonzalez said:

Now, who knows what a googolplex is?

A fear of large numbers?

--
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something." -- Mick, Idle Hands

you know? said:

Quoted message said:

I need a copy for our collection (honest !).

<Cough>

<Cough. NO. Cough. Sneeze>

James

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(Dave Kahn) said:

Quoted message said:

<Cough>

Arsenal!

LIVERPOOL FC Champions <Ahem, Sniffle>

James

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"Peter Connolly" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:b8b89p
[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

There was a radio programme this week that suggested they were the first people to attempt a fraud
using a Morecambe and Wise sketch!

"The Now Show"

There seem to be a lot of closet Radio 4 listeners on URC.

Have fun!

Graeme